


A second birthday

by Edom



Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anti-Ethan, Anti-Mikey, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-21
Updated: 2010-10-21
Packaged: 2017-10-12 19:33:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 21,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/128303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Edom/pseuds/Edom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Justin doesn't remember Ethan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Amnesia

**Author's Note:**

> Beta by TayTay4936, I couldn't do any of it without you.

**Brian POV**

I was sitting on the sofa with a beer, unwinding after work, when the door screeched open and Justin walked in. He took off his messenger bag and put it on the counter, shrugged out of his jacket, put his shoes on the floor by the door, and walked over to the sofa and me. He sat down half on my lap and put his head on my shoulder.

"Shit, I'm tired. I woke up in my studio with a pounding headache. When I could see straight again, I didn't even recognize the piece I was working on. I really need for you to fuck me into the mattress and then I need to sleep for 12 hours straight."

I just looked at him wondering what the fuck was going on. All this would have been semi-normal 6 months ago, but the little shit moved in with the fiddler 2 weeks ago. I was concerned that he said that he had a pounding headache and that he seemed to think that this was normal. I started working my hand across his head and found what I had hoped not to, but somewhat expected. He had a sizable bump on his head just above his scar.

"Justin, you have hit your head. I think we should take you to see a doctor. This could be serious. It is just above your scar."

He lifted his hand to his head and winced when he came in contact with the bump.

"Jesus, that's huge. Do we have to see that doctor? You know I hate doctors."

"I know, but I think we better."

He sighed loudly but got up and went and got his shoes and jacket.

We went to the jeep and drove to the hospital. When we got there, I pulled the doctor aside and told him about my suspicions about Justin's lack of memory.

"He has a rather nasty history with head injuries and memory loss so I'm worried."

He nodded and went to pull Justin's history. I sat down and pulled out my phone.

"Hey, Jennifer, it's Brian. Justin came to my place today and seemingly couldn't remember moving out. He has a nasty bump on his head so I took him to the hospital."

"Allegheny?"

"Yes."

"I'll be right there."

"Oh, and Jennifer, I don't think you should tell the fiddler. Justin doesn't remember him, and you know what they say about memory loss."

"Yeah, unfortunately I do. I have to call and tell him something. He'll worry if I don't."

"Fine, but you have to make sure he doesn't come here. Justin can't handle that right now."

"I will. See you soon."

When Jennifer had been here about 5 minutes, the doctor came back out.

"Mr. Taylor seems to have hit his head and blacked out. He doesn't have a concussion, which is good, but we have no idea why his memory is a little shaky at the moment. If you'll come with me, we'll find out what he does remember and then we'll take it from there."

We walked down the hall and into Justin's room. He looked a little pale but otherwise fine. The lack of color could just be a reaction to being in the hospital again.

"Brian." He said my name with so much love my heart ached. When he reached out his hand for me, I found myself walking over to him and sitting on the bed with him. I have no idea what we are going to tell him. Maybe we should talk to the doctor first.

"Justin, what date is it today?" the doctor asked him, and he gave him a puzzled look.

"It's October 15th."

Jennifer and I looked at each other. Fuck, in his mind, it was 2 days before his 19th birthday. A day I would rather not have to relive, unless I had the chance to do it differently this time around.

"I'm afraid you have a little amnesia, Justin. Today is May 4th. You seem to have lost the last 7 months."

He gaped at the doctor then at his mother and lastly at me.

"You're serious? I have amnesia, again? This fucking sucks."

The doctor chuckled a little at Justin's choice of words but I could see no humor in the situation.

"What can we do to get those months back to him?" Jennifer asks.

"There really isn't much you can do. The important thing is that he remembers it by himself. You may not tell him things that can potentially upset him, that could suppress the memories even further down and could damage Justin's mental health."

"SHIT! When can I go home? I really don't want to be here any longer."

Shit is right. He will have to go home with me and he will see right away that none of his things are there. Fuck.

"Well, Justin, we are keeping you overnight just to make sure that there are no other symptoms. We still don't quite understand why you blacked out or why you have amnesia. We want to make sure that we haven't overlooked something."

I'm relieved. This way we can make some arrangements before Justin can go home.

"Damn. Can Brian stay with me?"

What?

"Sure, I will have one of the nurses bring in a cot for him."

With that, the doctor leaves.

"Justin, I'm just going to go talk to your mother out in the hall for a second and then I'll come back in and get comfortable, ok?"

"Sure," he says. He looks very tired.

"Why don't you see if you can get a little sleep?"

I get up and follow Jennifer out into the hallway.

"Jennifer, look, he'll have to come live at the loft, at least until his memory returns."

"I agree. We'll have to get his things from Ethan's place back to the loft."

"Could you maybe go over there? You could bring Daphne. She pretty much knows where he kept everything at the loft; she is rather nosy, that girl," I say with a glint in my eye. I miss Justin's best friend; she's cool.

"That sounds like a plan. Better me than you." She winks at me and I can't help but laugh at that.

"Yeah, I'm sure I wouldn't be welcome over there at any time, and to tell him that Justin is moving back in with me will not help the situation."

"No. Well I better go." She turns around to go and say goodbye to Justin.

"Jennifer." She turns around to face me again. "You might need a key and the code to the alarm." She laughs at herself and comes back to me. I give her my key and the code to the alarm. After she has said her goodbyes, I go to sit with Justin.

He is still sleeping and I go to lie down on the cot the nurse has put in the room. I eventually fall asleep, but not before making a mental list of all the things I need to do tomorrow, starting with calling the whole family and telling them what happened so they don't put their feet in their mouths. I also need to go to PIFA and see if I can't find out what the fuck happened.


	2. Ethan's reaction

**Jennifer POV**

After I leave the hospital, I take out my cell and call Daphne.

"Mrs. Taylor? Did something happen to Justin?"

I can hear the panic in her voice.

"Hello, Daphne. Yes, something has happened to Justin. I'm not quite sure what, though. Apparently he woke up at his studio thinking today is October 15th."

"Shit, how did he find out it's not?"

"Well, he of course went home and that's how the whole mess was discovered."

"I don't get it. How could it be discovered just by him going home?"

"Where did Justin live on October 15th?"

"Oh. Shit, how did Brian react to that?"

"Admirably. He figured out something was off and got him to the hospital. Apparently, he blacked out and has lost the last 7 months. We are not allowed to tell him anything that might upset him, that could 'suppress the memories even further down and could damage Justin's mental health', or so the doctor says."

"Ok, how can I help?"

"I need to get all of his things back to Brian's loft before he goes home tomorrow. Could you help me with that?"

"Brian is letting him move back in?"

"He's the one who suggested it to me."

"Of course I'll help, when?"

"I'll come by and pick you up in 15 minutes if that's ok."

"Sure. Oh shit, Ethan is going to freak."

"That is why I'm doing it and not Brian."

"Good thinking."

"See you shortly, Daphne, and thank you."

"I'd do anything for Justin, Mrs. Taylor, you know that."

"Yes, I do."

I hang up and get in the car. I have a lot to think about, the least not being how to break the news to Ethan.

When I stop in front of Daphne's apartment building, she is waiting for me. She gets in the car and we drive off.

"What are we going to tell him?"

"The truth. If Justin gets his memory back and wants to get back with Ethan, he will do that. If not, it wasn't meant to be."

I have thought long and hard about this situation and I hope that Ethan will not do anything to jeopardize Justin's mental health. We arrive at Ethan's and get out of the car. I look at the building and the neighborhood and can't help but compare it to Brian's place. It doesn't quite measure up.

"Ok, let's do this," I sigh, and Daphne follows me into the building. We can hear violin music from the apartment and when I knock there is no reaction. I knock again, a little louder. The music stops and the door opens to reveal an irate Ethan. Before the door opens fully, we hear him.

"What do you want?" When he sees us, he stops cold. "Oh my god, what's wrong with him?"

"May we come in?"

I ask him. This is not a conversation I intend to have in the hallway.

"Of course."

He steps aside and lets us in. I look around and can't help comparing it to the loft again. This place never stood a chance.

"Justin has hit his head somehow. We don't know what happened, but he blacked out and has selective amnesia. This means that he thought that today was October 15th. The doctor told us that we can't tell him anything that might upset him. That could seriously damage his psyche. Since he doesn't remember moving in here, let alone meeting you, he will have to move back in with Brian."

"What? He can't. That whore will only hurt him again."

"You do not talk about Brian like that, is that understood?" I lost my patience. Brian has done so much for Justin that nobody gets to talk about him like that. "Brian is the one who realized something was wrong and brought him to the hospital."

"How did Brian find out?"

He looks like a petulant child.

"Well, considering Justin thinks it is October, he would still be living with Brian. He went to Brian's place and acted like nothing was out of the ordinary, said that he woke up at his studio. He asked Brian to fuck him and then he wanted to go to bed." I saw Ethan wince when I told about the fucking part, but he needs to understand that this is serious. "Brian felt all over his head and found a large lump just over the scar from the bashing and took him to the hospital. He called me, and the doctor told us that everything has to be as close to what was normal in October as possible. We need to pack all of Justin's things and bring them over to the loft. He is being released tomorrow and everything has to be in place by then."

"But what about me?"

Now he is almost whining.

"I'm sorry, Ethan. If Justin wants to get back together with you when his memory returns, that is his choice. Until then, you have to leave him alone. I'm sure you don't want to risk his mental health."

I look at him pointedly.

"Of course not. I'm just concerned that Brian will hurt him again."

"If he does, they will deal with it. I hope that Brian has learned something from this, and I think he has. He loves Justin, Ethan. I know that you don't believe that, but I have seen it. I was there when they danced at our prom. I saw him at the hospital afterwards and I have seen him bend over backwards to do as Justin wanted him to, short of changing into a totally different man."

"If he really loved him, he would have changed."

"No, Ethan. Justin really shouldn't have expected him too. You see, Justin fell in love with Brian knowing exactly what, and who, he is. Besides, if you have to change who you are, it really isn't love to begin with."

Daphne is a smart girl.

"Let's pack, Daphne. Where is his bag?"

Ethan found Justin's bag and helped us gather all of Justin's things.

"It's important that we find everything. We don't want to have to come back for something at a later date."

We looked all over the place and in the end it looked like everything was present and accounted for.

"Wait, we have to look through his sketch pads. There could be a drawing or two of Ethan, and that is no good."

Damn, Daphne is good. I get the feeling that she really doesn't like Ethan all that much. I have to ask her about that. We look through the pads and discover that there really aren't as many sketches as one would have expected. I remember looking through one when he was still with Brian. I quickly regretted that decision as it turned out to mainly be drawings of Brian in different states of undress. After that, I always asked if I could see some of his work, and he would show me the less private ones.

When the pads are all Ethan-free, we leave the apartment after saying goodbye to the violin player. I could tell that he was sad, but something told me that we would not be seeing him anymore. I think that Daphne is right. I think that Brian has learned something from all of this. I just hope he is willing to put it to good use.

When we get to the loft, I have to admit that it feels a little funny to go in without any of them there. The place is immaculate like always, but feels strangely empty. We start unloading Justin's stuff in the places that Daphne says they used to be. When we are done, the place looks more lived in, less empty. I wonder if Brian has felt it too.

I take Daphne home and go to pick up Molly at the neighbors'. I have to tell her what is going on, if for nothing else, then to prevent that she puts her foot in her mouth and says something she shouldn't have. God, I hope he never in his entire life hits his head again.


	3. The family informed

**Brian POV**

The entire family is at the loft. They are all wondering what is going on; but there's still 3 people missing. Finally, the buzzer sounds and I go to let them in. I open the door for Jennifer, Molly and Daphne.

"Ok, now that everybody is here; I have something to tell you and I need all of you to listen very carefully. Yesterday, as I sat on my sofa unwinding after work Justin walked in. He came over, sat down half on top of me, and told me he had a for shit day. He had woken up in his studio with a pounding headache unable to remember the piece he was working on. He asked me to fuck him and said that afterwards he was going to sleep for 12 hours."

I can see that they all look confused; several of them are just about to say something, but I hold up my hand to stop them. "I, of course, found all this a little strange, but mostly I was worried about the whole thing. When a quick exam of his head revealed a large lump just above his scar I told him we needed to go to the hospital. As soon as we got there, I let the doctor know what had happened and why it was unusual. When the doctor went to examine Justin, I called Jennifer. When she got there, the doctor came out to inform us that he didn't have a concussion, but he had apparently blacked out at some point. We went with him into the examining room where the doctor asked Justin what date it was. He said, "October 15th"."

They all gasped and looked at Jennifer and I.

"What are you going to do?" Debbie asked Jennifer.

"Justin is moving back in here and then there is nothing to do, other than wait."

"Brian, why…"

Michael began, but I just gave him a scathing look and he stopped. The black eye had faded, but I'm sure the memory will be there for a long time.

"Why are you going to put the poor boy through all that again?" Mel spat at me.

"Well, Mel, do you remember when you and Lindsay took Justin to a concert with this "talented and good looking" violinist?"

I had made quotation marks with my fingers.

She had the decency to blush while she shrugged.

"Sure, it was for his birthday."

"And just exactly when is Justin's birthday?"

"October 17th."

"And I just told you that Justin thinks it's October 15th. Hence, he has no idea who Ethan Gold is. The doctor told us that we should try and get things back as close as we could to the way they were back then. If we tell him things that could upset him, he could suppress the memories even further and his psyche could be permanently damaged."

"That's horrible, what can we do to help?" Emmett, gotta love him.

"You can help by not telling him anything about what has happened the last 7 months. If I hear that you have told him even the smallest thing, I will fucking kill you. Is that clear?"

I was looking straight at Michael when I said that, and he just nodded his head. The rest of them answered in the affirmative.

"Daphne and I got all of his things from Ethan's last night. He wasn't too happy about it; but he agreed to stay away for Justin's sake. Like I told him, if Justin chooses to get back together with him, if and when his memory returns, that is his choice."

Jennifer looks at me and I have a hard time suppressing the wince at her words. In the two weeks since Justin left me, I have deeply regretted my decision to push him away. I know that I couldn't give him all the things he wanted, but I could have given him something that might have been enough for him to stay. I miss him terribly.

"I had an idea last night when Justin told us he thought it was 2 days before his birthday. I want to throw him a birthday party. Nothing fancy, just the family. He is well aware of the actual date; and therefore knows that it isn't really his birthday, but with the disaster that was his actual birthday, I wanted a second chance to make it a good day for him. Will you all help me do that?"  
Debbie looks at me with tears in her eyes and pride written all over her face. I wanted to slap myself for not doing something decent for him the first time around.

"Of course we will help you, kiddo. What do you need?"

"If you and Vic will do the cooking? You know he loves your food."

She smiles brightly and gives me a little tap on the cheek.

"Sure thing, honey. We'll cook. Right Vic?"

"Of course we will. Anything for Justin."

"Thank you. Mel and Lindz, would you maybe help me pick out a decent gift for him? I know that you all gave him presents back then, but I never did."

"Sure, Bri. Of course. When?"

"Tomorrow. We'll have the party tomorrow night. Emmett and Ted, could you maybe decorate the loft? Nothing too garish or extravagant, something tasteful, my tasteful."

They both nod and start making plans.

"Jennifer and Daphne, would the two of you take him out to lunch tomorrow? Keep him occupied until it's time?"

"I know just the place."

Jennifer smiles at me and Daphne looks like she wants to kiss me.

"What do you want us to do, Brian?" Michael asks.

"Not a thing, Michael. I want you to be on your best behavior all fucking night. I would prefer if you were to stay away from him as much as possible, but if you can't do that, I want you to talk to him as little as you can without being obvious about it. I want your help on this, Ben."

They all look at me and Debbie is about to say something.

"Look, we all know how Michael feels about Justin and I don't want him telling him something inadvertently."

Debbie nods and they all seem to accept this explanation and I am glad. I don't want to have to tell them what he had said at the anniversary party.

"Thank you, all. I have to go get Justin now. I'll see you tomorrow."

They all leave and I go to the jeep to go pick up Sunshine.


	4. Coming home

**Justin POV**

I have this very bad feeling that there is something that they are not telling me. I don't know what it is, but there is something in the way Brian looks at me, like regret. I know he doesn't do regret, or so he says. In actuality, there are plenty of things Brian regrets. He regrets not taking me home after prom instead of leaving me with Daphne; he regrets giving up his parental rights to Gus; and I think he regrets having strung Michael along for so long.

I can't put my finger on it, but I know there is something. I guess I will just have to wait and see if my memory ever comes back to find out what it is.

I will, thankfully, be released in an hour; and Brian said he would be here to pick me up. I can't wait to get home; I fucking hate hospitals. I miss our bed and the sheets with the ridiculously high thread count. Brian is such a label queen.

My head doesn't hurt as much today as it did yesterday. I think the bump is even a little smaller today. I wonder what the fuck happened. It's not like this is a normal thing to have happen.

The door opens and Brian pokes his head in.

"Hey, how are you feeling today?"

"Better. My head doesn't hurt as much and I think the bump shrunk."

"That's great. Are you ready to go home?"

"Yes, definitely. I hate it here."

"I can imagine. Is there anything you have to do before we can go?"

"The doctor will be here in a couple of minutes. He is just going to do a last check-up and then he'll release me."

"Sounds good."

The doctor comes in and greets both of us. He does the exam, and then he gives me the release papers to sign.

"Let's try not to see you here again anytime soon. Shall we, Mr. Taylor?"

"Trust me; I don't want to come back ever again if I can help it."

"Thank you, doctor. We'll try and keep him out of here."

"Goodbye, you two."

"Goodbye, doctor." I shake his hand and we are out of there, finally.

 **Brian POV**

We get to the jeep and I start to relax a little until he pins me against it and kisses me. I didn't expect that, but I guess I should have. He thinks that we are still together and sex has not ever been a problem between the two of us. I can't help myself; I kiss him back with everything I have. I really have missed him.

We get in the jeep and drive to the loft. I guess I have to get used to calling it home again. It was only ever a home when he lived there with me. When we get there, he is almost glued to my lips in the elevator; and I have to break down and confess that I didn't put up any sort of fight.

When we get the door opened, which is not easy when you are still kissing by the way, we start pulling the clothes off of each other all the while making our way to the bed. We fall into it in a heap of limbs and groping hands.

I kiss a trail along his jaw, down his neck and chest to his left nipple. I suck it into my mouth and he moans low in his throat and I just about cum at the sound. I give the right nipple the same attention and I can feel he is getting impatient. I plant small kisses down to his cock and take it all the way down my throat. He moans again, this time a little louder, and I hear him panting my name. I fucking love it when he says my name during sex. It is one of my weirder fetishes, and he knows what it does to me. I take my middle finger in my mouth alongside his cock and get it good and wet before putting it to his hole. He gasps and I press the finger in just to the first joint. He is getting frustrated, if his little sighs are anything to go by. I push my finger in a little more and he bucks against me to get it in even further. I can't hold on much longer, and pull out my finger. I put on a condom and lube up. I push all the way into him without anymore preparation and he screams half in pain and half in ecstasy. Fuck, he is tight; almost as tight as the first night. I start moving when he grabs my hand and entwines our fingers. I start out slowly, but after a very short time I'm slamming into him with abandon. When I'm close, I grab his cock and jerk him off.

"BRIIAANN, I love you," he screams as he is coming, and that triggers my own orgasm. I shoot into the condom and fall down on his chest. When I move to get off of him, he holds me back with a hand on my back. I lay back down and relax.

I feel a little apprehensive. I don't know if this was a mistake. What if his memory returns tomorrow and he thinks I just let him move back home because I wanted to fuck him? But fuck if I'm able to regret this. It was fucking amazing, like always between the two of us.

When my cock starts to soften, I pull out and lay down next to him. He gravitates to me and ends up with his head on my chest.

"I wish we could just stay here all day, but we do have to eat at some point. What are you in the mood for?"

"The diner?"

I sigh. I'm not sure I'm ready to deal with the family, especially Mikey, but how the hell do I explain that to him?

"Ok, let's go take a shower and get going."

We get out of bed and go to the bathroom. He looks around and I wonder what he is looking at.

"Did we change something in here? Something is off somehow."

"No, nothing's changed."

"Wait, I know. That's a new aftershave. Is that mine or yours?"

"Definitely yours, Sunshine. I would not ever use something that cheap on my skin. I think you bought it once when you went to the market alone."

"That would explain it. You would never have let me buy something like that with you there. What if someone saw you with it in your cart? That would seriously deduct from your style points."

He grins at me and I swat his ass. I turn my back to him so he can't see my ear to ear grin. I have missed this easy banter with him.

I turn on the shower and adjust the temperature. I almost set it at my own until I remember that it is way too hot for him. When he is done with the inventory of the bathroom, he joins me under the water. We wash each other slowly and sensually, but it never goes any further than that.

We get to the diner and, thankfully, none of the family is there. I think that Debbie has informed the rest of the staff of Justin's situation because Kiki never even bats an eyelash when we show up together. I have to remember to thank Deb for that; I hadn't thought about anybody besides the family.

After dinner, we go home and watch a movie and make it an early night, not that we actually go to sleep early, but you know what I mean.


	5. PIFA

**Brian POV**

After the night we had, I was a little nervous about his reaction this morning; but he woke up smiling broadly at me. He then climbed down my body. He took my cock in his mouth without warning and I bucked off the bed.

"Fuck, Justin," I moaned. I don't moan often, but with him, all bets are off.

After I came down his throat, he looked up at me and gave me this shit eating grin, like he just did the most amazing thing ever. I almost had to agree with that assessment.

We went to take a shower and I told him that his mother and Daphne were coming over to take him out.

"Why?"

"They want to make sure you are alright, Sunshine. We had a bit of a scare there; you know that. I have some things I have to take care of today, anyway."

"Ok, when will they be here?"

"In about an hour. We have time for some breakfast, first."

"I'll make breakfast; you make coffee."

"Sounds like a plan."

We go into the kitchen and we prepare something to eat while we just talk about everyday things. Nothing too important, and nothing about the last seven months. Except one thing. I have to tell him; he will find out eventually anyway.

"There is something I want to tell you. It's kind of important, and something you would find out anyway."

"What is it? You sound so serious."

"Marty Ryder sold the agency to a guy named Gardner Vance. He gave me one week to prove to him that I was worth keeping on staff. I went to Chicago and landed a client he had wanted for a very long time. I made partner when I came home."

I want him to be proud of me, for some unfathomable reason.

"Holy shit, Brian. That's fucking fantastic. I'm so proud of you. Congratulations."

He gives me a big hug, and I can't help the huge smile on my face.

After Jennifer and Daphne have come and gone, taking Justin with them, I get in my car and go to get the munchers. I knock on the door, and Lindsay opens it.

"You ready to go?"

"Sure, Bri. Have you thought about what you want to give him?"

"I know exactly what I want to give him. That's not actually what I need your help with. I didn't want to say this in front of everybody; but I want to go to PIFA and convince them to tell me what subjects will come up on Justin's finals. He hasn't got a snowball's chance in hell of studying for everything before finals; and I don't think it's fair that he should fall a semester behind because of this."

During my little speech, we had gotten in the car and started driving towards PIFA.

"How are you going to convince them to give you the subjects?"

"That's what I need the two of you for, mostly you, Mel. You're a lawyer; I think you can convince them that it would be in their best interest to give them to me, considering this happened on PIFA grounds and Justin could choose to sue. I also want to go to his studio and see if I can find something out of place. That's where I need you, Lindsay. I have no idea how an artist would set up his studio, not even Justin. I have been there before, but I don't think I would notice if something is out of place. I was hoping that you would."

"Of course we'll help, right Mel?"

"Anything for Justin, and I think you might be right; he could have a case. How have his grades been so far; do you know?"

"Of course I know; he's gotten straight A's"

"Wow, that's impressive."

"Yeah, it is." Even I could hear the pride in my voice. Mel and Lindz were looking at me funny. I just ignored them.

We got to PIFA, and I parked the jeep. We went to Justin's studio, first. We looked around, but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. I saw the piece he had been working on, the one he didn't recognize. It was fucking amazing, but achingly sad. I could see all of his pain in that piece, and it almost broke my heart. I kept my face neutral while looking at it, but I was screaming on the inside.

"What do you say, Lindsay; anything out of place?"

"I don't think so. It's hard to tell since it's not my own place, but my guess would be that nothing is out of place. It's really strange being here without his permission though. I think we should go."

"Ok, let's go to the office. We have to convince them to give us the subject list."

We walked to the admin building and went to the dean's office. His secretary looked up at us.

"Hello, how may I help you?"

"Hello, my name is Brian Kinney. I have an appointment with the dean."

She checked the calendar and nodded.

"The dean is expecting you; just a moment, please."

We sat in some uncomfortable chairs while she went into the office to announce us.

"He will see you now, Mr. Kinney."

"Thank you."

Mel and I rose and went to the office. Lindsay stayed in the outer office to wait for us.

"Hello, Mr. Kinney. How may I help you?"

"This is my lawyer, Melanie Marcus."

"Ms. Marcus." He looked a little confused as to what I needed a lawyer for.

"I'm here to inform you that Justin Taylor had an accident of some sort at his studio here at school two days ago. He has lost his memory of the last 7 months. I would like it if we could get a copy of the subject list for his final exams. He wouldn't be able to study the entire syllabus before exams."

"I'm sure that would be a little like cheating, Mr. Kinney. I can't condone that."

"Mr. Taylor has gotten straight A's in all his classes so far, Dean Ryerson, and taking into account that the incident happened on school grounds, I'm sure it would be in your best interest to be accommodating in this instance."

Mel was in full lawyer mode; and Dean Ryerson looked like someone just kicked his dog. Totally shocked.

"Why is it of such interest to you, Mr. Kinney?"

"I'm the one paying his tuition, Dean Ryerson. I have a vested interest in him graduating as soon as possible."

Both the dean and Mel looked shocked, but Mel covered it up before the dean saw it.

"Well, I'll certainly talk it over with his professors and hear what they have to say."

"You do that. We'll just wait here." I could see that was not what he had in mind, but I just made myself more comfortable in the chair, and Melanie followed my lead.

He got up from his desk and went to the outer office to get his secretary to call the professors in question. When they showed up, we were introduced, and the dean told the professors what had happened.

"Oh my god, that's terrible. Will he be able to do his exams? He is so talented and it would be a waste if he had to take the class again," said Professor Huckley, Justin's art history professor.

"That is why we are here. Would it, in any way, be possible for Justin to study for his exams without having to study the entire syllabus? We were hoping that you would give us a list of topics that will come up on the exams."

"Well, I don't see why not. He has gotten straight A's in my class all year, even on his midterms. I know for a fact that he is well versed in the subject; and I'm not against giving the list to you," Professor Ruthers said. She was Justin's English professor.

"Me neither. I see no problem, whatsoever. I'll just go to my office and get it for you right now."

"Thank you so much. I know it will be a relief for Justin when he finds out."

Both professors left to go to their respective offices; and we were left with the dean, who looked anything but pleased.

"I know that you think Justin has gotten too many breaks from this school, Dean Ryerson. Would you consider the reason for these breaks? He was bashed in the head with a baseball bat at his senior prom in high school because he is gay; and now, he has had some kind of accident that has made him forget 7 moths of his life. I'm quite sure Justin would prefer not to need the breaks you are giving him," I said to him, and watched him get flustered. I guess he had never thought about it like that before.

When the professors returned with the lists, we said goodbye and left PIFA. I drove the girls home, and went to buy Justin's birthday present. I hope he'll like it.


	6. The gifts

**Brian POV**

When I got home after having bought Justin's present, Ted and Emmett were all but done with the decorations. They had gotten blue and silver balloons and a blue banner with the words 'Happy birthday Justin' in silver; not too much and very tasteful. I was pleased.

"Well done, Emmett. How did you restrict yourself like that? Was it Theodore's natural boring disposition that tempered you a little?"

"Wow, you managed to insult the both of us while paying us a compliment. I'm impressed."

"It's a talent, Theodore, a true gift." I smirked at them.

Just then, the buzzer sounded and announced Deb and Vic with the food. They put all of the food on the kitchen counter and the beverages on the kitchen bar. The munchers and Gus arrived at the same time as Michael and Ben. They all helped me rearrange the furniture in a way that made it possible for everybody to sit at a table to eat.

Finally, it was time and we heard the elevator climb its way to the top floor. The metal door scraped open and Justin came in.

"Surprise!"

He stopped dead and just looked at everybody.

"What's going on?"

"Well, we never did celebrate your birthday when it was actually the right day because it's the same day as Ben's; and Michael threw him a surprise party. I, therefore, figured that since you think it's today, it was a golden opportunity to do it right this time around," I said with my tongue in my cheek.

He smiled brightly and threw himself at me. Luckily, I had anticipated the move and was able to catch him. I hugged him to me, happy to have him back.

Once he was done smothering me with kisses, he went around to everybody else to thank them for coming.

We all got some food and something to drink before sitting down to eat and talk. Mikey stayed on the end of the room opposite Justin; for that, I was grateful.

It seemed everybody was having a nice time, talking and laughing. When we were all done eating, I stood up to get everybody's attention.

"All of you know that I don't do birthdays, but that generally only means my own."

Chuckles were heard throughout the loft at that.

"I actually have no less than two birthday presents for you, Justin. The first one is a little unusual. Mel, Lindz and I went to PIFA today. First off, we went to your studio to see if anything was out of place or if we could find out what happened to you. Unfortunately, we didn't find anything. We went to the dean's office to see if he would help us with something. He wasn't too keen on the idea at first, but your professors were all for it; and after reminding dean Ryerson that whatever happened to you happened on school grounds, he was a little more accommodating. We got a list of subjects that will come up on your exams. Don't get me wrong; we didn't get a copy of the tests, just the subject matter so you don't have to study the entire syllabus, only parts of it."

He looked like Christmas just came early this year; and again, I found myself with an armful of excited blond.

"Oh my god. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I was worried about that. How come my professors didn't have a problem giving you the list?"

"Because you have gotten straight A's so far, even on your midterms. They knew that you didn't try to get an easy ride; they could see the unfairness of you having to try and read up on the entire syllabus when they knew that you already knew the subject matter."

"That's great. Thank you, Mel and Lindz."

"You're welcome, baby. It was a pleasure, really." Mel gave me a pointed look and laughed.

"What?" Justin asked, confused.

"It was just a surprise to the munchers that I actually knew your grade point average and what subjects you have this year." I rolled my eyes.

"Why wouldn't you know? You have a vested interest in my grades. You want me to graduate on time and start paying you back." He winked at me and I couldn't help myself, I laughed.

"Brat. Well, the second gift is a little less practical, but a lot more fun."

I gave him an envelope and he looked at it for a while before opening it. When he saw the contents of the envelope, he looked up at me with huge eyes.

"When?"

"The day after your final exam."

"For how long?"

"5 days."

He heaved a great sigh and gave me a brilliant smile.

"Thank you so much. I have a feeling we need this."

"You might just be right." I smiled back at him, happy that he liked the gift.

"What is it, Sunshine?" Deb asked.

"A trip to Eden Rock Hotel in Saint Barths."

He gave her the brochure. The suite we were staying in was described like this:

Diamond Suites  
James Suite (1 Bedroom)  
This diamond-sharp extremely spacious suite sits at the foot of the rock, right on the water's edge. Its sumptuously large bathroom with sunken bath and double cascade shower adjoin a lovely designer bedroom with handcrafted furniture, which takes full advantage of one of the greatest ocean views in the French West Indies, rolling out in front of the private pool, deck and jacuzzi. (http://www.edenrockhotel.com/en/index.htm

"Shit, Sunshine. That sounds fucking amazing. You are going to have the best time ever." Deb gave him a big hug and looked at me.

"You did good, Kiddo." I smiled at her and was actually happy she approved.

The brochure was making its way around the room; and when it got to Mikey, I could see that he was just about to say something and I gave him a death glare. He, thankfully, kept his mouth shut.

About an hour after that, everybody left. They all gave Justin a hug, and I even got a few. When we were finally alone, he sidled up to me.

"Thank you so much, Brian."

"Well, it's just as much for me. I could use 5 days in the sun on a Caribbean island."

"I didn't just mean for the trip. I meant for everything, the party, you going to PIFA AND the trip. It's all so perfect. I really wish that I could remember the last seven months if they got us to this place."

I blanched a little at that.

"Well, I have to admit that I'm kinda glad you don't. You know how I say 'no apologies, no regrets'?"

He was a little taken aback at my comment, but he nodded his head.

"Sure, it's your motto."

"Well, since I have broken almost all of my other rules for you, I figured 'What's one more?' There are a lot of things I regret about the last seven months, but I am trying to make it up to you. Don't get me wrong, I hope you do get your memory back. I just hope that I will have made up for all the shitty things that have happened by the time you do, so you may be able to forgive me for them."

He looked at me with a lot of apprehension on his face.

"What kind of things?"

"You know I can't answer that. Doctors orders."

"Yeah, I know. Well, you are off to a great start with the things you have done today."

I grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him to me. When he was close enough, I gave him a toe curling kiss and started walking backward towards the bedroom with him in tow. When I got him there, I took off all of his clothes and pushed him onto the bed. He laughed as he bounced a little. I took off my own clothes and straddled his hips. I bent down to his ear and whispered:

"I'm going to fuck myself on your big cock so hard that you will see stars when you come; and afterwards, I'm going to fuck your tight little hole for so long that you won't be able to walk straight tomorrow."

His breath hitched and he was instantly hard. I grabbed a couple of condoms and the lube from the bedside table. I started preparing myself, lifting up just enough that he can see what I was doing. His eyes glazed over and he started panting a little. When I was ready, I put the condom on him and lowered myself onto him ever so slowly. I did as promised and fucked myself fast and hard, never giving him a chance to gain any kind of control; or even breathe, really. When we both came, I fell onto his chest, struggling for breath.

"Fuck, that was amazing," Justin breathed. he had a hard time getting the words out.

"Yes, it was."


	7. Exams and Fiddlers

**Brian POV**

It was a couple of weeks after the 'birthday party' and Justin had aced his Art History exam. His English exam was tomorrow and the day after that we were going to the Caribbean.

We were walking down Liberty Avenue towards the diner when I heard it, the last sound in the world I wanted to hear. Violin music, it couldn't be, he wouldn't be that stupid, but apparently he was. I tensed up and Justin noticed.

"What's wrong?"

"I just don't like violin music all that much, that's all."

We were close enough that Ethan could hear us, and he had definitely seen us.

"I don't like it all that much either, never have. I think it sounds like two cats fighting, to be honest."

I smiled brightly at that and pulled him closer to me. Justin had tried to keep his voice down, but we had passed right by the fiddler when he said it, and it was obvious he had heard it. His face fell, but luckily, Justin didn't see that since he was looking at me.

We went inside the diner and the whole gang was there.

"Hey, baby. How did your exam go?"

Emmett asked with genuine interest. Justin smiled his trademark smile.

"I got an A."

"Congratulations, that's great, Sunshine."

Deb had come up behind us while he talked.

"Thank you. I couldn't have done it without Brian's help, though."

"Why, because he got you the list of subjects?"

Ted asked.

"No, he helped me study. The list helped, of course, but he quizzed me to make sure I remembered it all, just like with my SAT's."

He beamed at me, and I couldn't help but smile back. I was just so damn happy that he was feeling so good. His memory was still gone, and the doctors weren't sure it would ever return at this point. They said if he didn't get it back within the next three months, we could begin to tell him little things, but still nothing too upsetting. If the memory was still gone after six months, we could tell him everything, but still try not to upset him too much. I was kind of dreading that day. How the fuck do I explain everything that went wrong with us, and more importantly, the fiddle fuck, without upsetting him too much?

The gang all looked at me like I had just grown a pair of tits.

"What?"

"I didn't think you had it in you, Brian."

"Had what in me, Mel? Justin's dick?"

Justin spat out the coke he had just sipped and the rest of them just dropped their jaws. Justin looked at me, and then at the rest of them, and started laughing uncontrollably.

"God, Brian, you are so bad. Are you trying to kill all of our friends?"

"No, I was just wondering what Mel didn't think I had in me."

I was starting to enjoy this little confession. The looks on everybody's faces were priceless.

"Asshole, like we would believe that you would let Justin top you,"

Michael said with as much conviction as he could muster.

"Of course I let him top me. Who the fuck else should do it when I get the urge?"

I was smirking now, and Justin was almost crimson in the face with laughter and, I think, a lot of pride. Apparently, the rest of them saw the pride too, because they all looked between us for a while before dropping their jaws again.

"Shit, you're serious, aren't you?"

Mel said after a while.

"I'm a card-carrying member of fagdom; of course I'm fucking serious."

Michael looked like I had betrayed him in some unfathomable way, Mel and Ted looked somewhat constipated, but the rest of them looked part amused and part proud.

"Good for you, Kiddo. And you too, Sunshine."

Deb patted me on the cheeks, gave me a questioning look, and tilted her chin a little at the window, through which I could see the fiddler. I shook my head slightly and smiled at her. She looked relieved and patted Justin's cheek, too.

"Well, Sunshine, it's time to go. You have some studying to do before your final tomorrow."

We got up and said goodbye to the gang before exiting the diner. When we passed Ian again, he looked like he was about to say something when Justin took my hand.

"I can't wait for this final to be over and we can get the fuck out of town. It's going to be so great, just you and me in a luxury suite in the Caribbean."

"I know. But you have to concentrate on that last final before we can start concentrating on our vacation."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the fiddler sack. I guess he finally realized that even if Justin ever got his memory back, he would never leave me again, mainly because I was not about to let him go again, not without one hell of a fight.

We walked home and Justin went straight for his books. Good boy. I brought him a bottle of water and settled down in front of the computer to get some work done. After about three hours, I heard a loud relieved sigh from the sofa. When I looked over at Justin, he smiled brightly at me.

"I think I have been through it all now. Will you help me again?"

"Of course I will. What do you need?"

"If you could just do the same thing you did before the last one?"

"Sure, where are your flash cards?"

I smirked at him. He is so damn messy with other things, but schoolwork and art supplies were always in neat order. It's a good thing he has his priorities somewhat straight; now all I have left is to teach him to dress in some decent clothes and to treat those properly.

He just stuck his tongue at me and gave me the cards as I sat down on the opposite end of the sofa from him. We started the repetition and he did extremely well, just like I knew he would. He would ace that exam too.

 **Justin POV**

Brian made me go to bed really early last night. Not that I got any sleep for the first two hours, but that was more than ok with me. I'm not really nervous about this exam for some weird reason. Maybe it's because Brian has so much damn confidence in me, it's starting to rub off on me.

I'm glad we went to the diner yesterday. It was good to see everybody, but more importantly, it was nice to laugh. I can't believe he told them that he lets me top once in a while. I was so damn proud of that. It's like he is starting to not freak out as much at the mention of the R word. He might someday admit to being in one with me.

I don't know how much he tricks anymore. All I know is that he isn't doing it in front of me, and I'll be eternally grateful for that. It's way too painful seeing him with someone else. I love him so much and I know that if he ever asked, I would have absolutely no problem being monogamous. The only reason I have ever tricked is because I didn't want to appear as a dickless fag in front of him.

Wow, did I just get sidetracked on that line of thought? Where was I? Oh, yeah, my exam today. Brian has taken part of the day off in order to be there when I get out of the room and to stay with me until I get my grade. I still have to wait for the results of the written tests, but it will be nice to hear about the oral ones.

And tomorrow we are off to St. Barths. I can't wait; it is going to be so great. Just Brian and me for 5 whole days. He has promised me no tricks while on vacation.

I make some breakfast and put the coffee pot on. After that, I go to wake up my man in his absolute favorite way. I lift up the covers carefully and snake my way down to his beautiful morning wood. God, I love this man's cock. While I help myself to a morning protein snack, I can hear Brian waking up. He starts moaning low in his throat and bucking his hips a little.

After he gives me that delicious creamy deposit, I kiss my way up to his lips to give him a little taste of himself. He moans a little at the taste and before I know what has happened, I'm on my back with Brian's mouth on my cock.

"SHIT," I yell as he deep throats me. I'm coming rather fast after that and he smiles satisfied when he crawls up my body to give me a sweet kiss.

"Breakfast and coffee are almost ready," I say once I can breathe again.

After breakfast, Brian goes to work and I go through my cards one last time. A little before noon, Brian is back in order to take me to PIFA. When we get there, I start getting a little nervous.

"You want me to fuck you in the bathroom?" Brian whispers to me, and I relax and chuckle a little at that.

"Thanks, but I think I'm fine now."

He just nods his head and takes my hand. When they call my name he gives my hand a little squeeze before letting go. I stand up and go to the exam room. My nerves are back a little, but not so much that I can't concentrate. I get an easy subject and start talking.

I walk out of the room feeling very confident. I knew the subject matter I was talking about and I'm sure I told them everything they wanted to know.

When my teacher comes out, she gives me a smile.

"It's an A, Justin; you did extremely well."

Brian grabs me and gives me a huge hug.

"Let's go celebrate."

I laugh and give him a kiss.

"Let's go to the diner. I want to tell everybody."

He nods and we leave PIFA and get in the Jeep. When we arrive at the diner, I all but run inside, grab Deb around the waist and give her a big kiss on her cheek.

"What's with you, Sunshine? Did Brian ask you to marry him?"

She gives me a little wink and I start laughing.

"I got an A on my exam today, too."

"Congratulations, Sunshine. You are a fucking genius."

We stay for the rest of the afternoon and the rest of the gang all get there one by one. They are all treated to my great news and they all congratulate me, even Michael.

We get home around 8 PM and go straight to bed. We have to be at the airport at 7 AM. We have already packed our bags and all we have to do is get in the cab that's already been ordered for 6 AM.


	8. Getting there

**Justin POV**

God, that man is so fucking infuriating sometimes. It turns out he lied to me about the departure time of our flight. He didn't want to scare me off, or so he said. Turns out we were taking off at 6 AM, which meant we had to be at the airport at 4 and the car was ordered for 3 AM. Fuck, when he woke me up, I was quite sure I hadn't slept at all. I was like a zombie in the shower. I even let Brian find out what clothes I should wear. I was barely functioning. The real bitch was when we got to the airport and he told me it would be 31 hours and 15 minutes until we would even be in St. Barths. Apparently, it's not that easy to get there from Pittsburgh. We had to change planes 3 fucking times. And we had an overnight stay at St. Martin. When it came down to it, we would be gone 7 days and not 5.

The first leg of the trip was a 40-minute flight to Chicago. We landed at 6:40 and our next flight left at 7:40. That gave us an hour to get to the gate and get a cup of much needed coffee.

The flight form Chicago was a little longer; the destination was Charlotte, North Carolina. We landed at 10:35 and departed again at 11:30. Again, an hour to get even more coffee. We both had a brief nap on the plane, but we were far from really rested. We were starting to get a little pissy with each other and that was not the way I wanted to start our vacation.

Luckily, the next flight was considerably longer and we both slept for about 4 hours. We were finally somewhat rested when we woke up. Now, we just had sore necks and backs. The landing at Princess Juliana International Airport is something of a weird experience. You fly really low over the beach and it looks like you are going to land on the heads of the people down there. Apparently, it is quite the tourist attraction to stand on the beach and look at the planes arriving and departing. Go figure.

Brian told me that we were staying overnight at The Westin St. Maarten, Dawn Beach Resort & Spa. He had booked us both massages in our room for 6:30 PM. We would land at 4:14, and then we would have to get to the hotel, which was about 9.5 km. from the airport. We didn't have to collect our bags since we were flying out the next day. He had packed some clothes in his carry-on bag and the hotel provides toiletries.

The hotel was beautiful and the massage was a welcome surprise. Shit, we needed that, but what we needed even more was a good fuck. As soon as the massage therapists left the room, we jumped each other. It was a good few hours before we finally surfaced to go to dinner.

We went to the Ocean restaurant and had a window seat. We had the most gorgeous view of the ocean. The food was good, but the company was better. We were much more relaxed after the hours of sleep we had gotten on the flight and the massage. I can't remember ever having felt so at ease in Brian's company. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm on edge around him all the time; we are just so busy in our every day lives that we hardly ever have time to just relax and spend time together, just the two of us. It was really nice. I was thoroughly looking forward to an entire week of this.

 **Brian POV**

We actually managed not to kill each other on the trip to St. Martin. It was a toss up who was more annoyed with the other. It was just because were so fucking tired. I hope we will be more rested on the return trip.

The hotel here is very nice. After dinner, we went back to our room and I took him in my arms as soon as the door closed. I kissed him thoroughly, and then I undressed him slowly while kissing every piece of exposed skin as I went. When he was naked, I laid him on the bed and just stood and looked at him. He started getting self-conscious and squirming.

"So beautiful,"

I breathed and that amazing smile of his broke out on his face. I took off my own clothes and laid down beside him. I stroked him slowly, like he was a big blond housecat. He even started making these sounds that could be construed as purring. After a while, my lips and tongue followed my hands. He was mewling softly and trying to get my mouth where he wanted it. He was going to have to be patient a little while longer. I wasn't ready to finish this yet; I wanted to drag this out as long as I possibly could.

I get to the most perfect ass I have ever seen, and decide to make a feast out of it. He bucks off the bed the second my mouth is on his hole. God, he tastes so fucking good; how is that possible? How come everything about him is so much better than anybody else I have ever been with? Is that what love is? Is it that I know for a fact that nobody else will ever fit me as perfectly as he does? Nobody will ever feel or taste as good as he does. If that is the case, I really don't know why I fucking resisted so long. Maybe because I'm not sure he feels the same way.

"God, Brian. Fuck me, fuck me now, please."

I can't not do as he pleads. I put on a condom and lube him up. As I push into him, I hear him mutter into his arm, which is over his face.

"I love you so much. No one ever makes me feel like you do."

I almost cum from that alone. It was the exact thing I just thought about.

When we both cum, at almost the same time, I cum so hard I almost black out. I fall on him in a heap of spent limbs. I try to roll of, I have to be getting heavy, but he holds on tighter and I relax onto him again.

"We have to get some sleep. We are flying out again tomorrow, but I was hoping for a little dip in the pool before we have to leave."

"Sounds like a plan."

He gives me a little kiss on the collarbone before releasing me so I can roll off. I lie on my back and he puts his head on my shoulder like he has done for more nights than I would have ever thought possible. It is my absolute favorite position to sleep in.

I'm lounging by the pool next to Justin. I woke up with my dick in his mouth, not the worst way in the world to wake up. After the brat had his high protein breakfast, he slithered up my body with a self-satisfied expression on his face.

"Good morning, Brian. How did you sleep?"

I swatted his ass and he just laughed. For that, I flipped him over in order to have my own breakfast.

We did order up some real food from room service before going down here to the pool. We have to leave at about noon to get to the airport. The plane takes off at 2 and we'll be at St. Barths at 2:15 local time. Not the longest flight in the world.

When we land at St. Barts, there is a car from the resort to pick us up. When we get there, we check in and a bellboy leads us to our room.

"Wow."

Justin was standing in the middle of the bedroom and turned all the way around himself. Then, we walked around the suite and took in all of the things we saw. After we unpacked, we went out to the deck to toast with the chilled wine that was waiting for us in the room when we arrived.

We decided to spend the first day in the suite, just enjoying the room and the private pool.

When it was dinnertime, we went to 'On the Rocks' for a very delicious meal. The package I had bought included breakfast and five additional meals on the resort in the five days we would be there. We just had to pay for whatever we had to drink.

After dinner we went back to the room, and that's when Justin saw the car parked there.

"Whose car is that? It was there when we arrived too."

"That's ours for as long as we are here. We can explore the island and go out to eat some of the time."

He gave me a radiant smile and I couldn't help but smile back.

All in all, I would say that our first day on St. Barths had been a success.


	9. A vacation to remember

**Brian POV**

The first morning we woke up in St. Barths, we got up and took a shower in the amazing bathroom. We fucked in there, of course, and then we went for breakfast. While we ate, we talked about what we wanted to do for the day, and Justin suggested renting a sailboat, including crew, to sail around the island. I actually liked that idea, and we went to the main house to ask in the reception where we could charter a boat, and where we might be able to get a picnic lunch.

The concierge recommended Marine Service for the boat charter and Maya's to-go for the picnic lunch. He even offered to call 'Marine Service' and help us charter the boat; we accepted his help with thanks. When the boat was booked, he gave us the addresses for both places, and we were off.

The car we had at our disposal came equipped with GPS, thankfully, and we plotted in the address for the restaurant, and we were off.

It was a beautiful day with not a cloud in the sky. Both of us were wearing light, almost see-through white linen pants and white wife-beaters. We had both put on sunscreen; mine wasn't as high SPF as Justin's, but the sun was brutal in this part of the world, and I really had no plans of being laid up with sun poising or even sunburn. We had brought the bottles with us for further application later. Both of us also wore a bandana on our heads. Better safe than sorry. Justin actually thought I looked hot, a little like William Turner from 'Pirates of the Caribbean', aka, Orlando Bloom, he said. I didn't mind that comparison in the least.

When we got to the restaurant, we ordered meatloaf and Virginia ham sandwiches and two orders of fruit salad. We continued on with our lunch in a beautiful basket. We got to the marina and asked for Mr. Poulson. He showed us to a very beautiful catamaran, and we climbed onboard. He introduced us to the crew, and we proceeded out of the harbor. When we were all the way out, the crew set the sails, and it was a magnificent sight. Justin and I were lying on the net in the bow of the boat, just talking. We kept reminding each other to put on more sunscreen, and most of the times we even helped each other put it on. We ate our lunch out there as well. We drank water with the food, not willing to risk drinking alcohol in the sun.

When we had completed the cruise around the island and returned to the marina, I took Justin's hand.

"Did you have a good day, Sunshine?"

He smiled that fucking bright smile of his, and nodded his head.

"The best; I never imagined I would like sailing as much as I did. Not that I would want to do it on a regular basis, but once in a while could be fun."

"It could."

I squeezed his hand before letting it go to open the door of the car. We got in and drove back to the resort. After parking by the house, I grabbed Justin's hand and all but dragged him into the house and the bedroom. I quickly divested him of what little clothes he was wearing, and pushed him onto the bed.

"I have been rock hard all day looking at you in those pants. I'm going to fuck you now, then in the pool and then again in the shower before dinner."

 **Justin POV**

That sounded like an excellent plan to me; his attire hadn't left me unaffected either.

"Do it."

He took off his own clothes and then he lay down next to me.

"I think you actually got some color today, Sunshine, despite the sunscreen."

"Yeah, but I can't do it too fast or I will burn. My skin is way too white; I'll go red and then start peeling if I don't do it slowly."

"We'll just keep up with the sunscreen, then."

He gave me that smile only reserved for me. The one that tells me that even if he never says it with words, he does love me.

He started kissing me, starting with my forehead, my eyes, nose, lips, neck, collarbone, and then down to the left nipple. By then, my breathing had changed and my cock was standing up taking notice. He continued his journey downwards, ending at his favorite destination, my ass. He signaled for me to turn over, and when I did, he rimmed me for a very long time before grabbing the lube to prepare me, not that I needed much preparation by then. When he finally slid into me, at a much slower pace than I wanted him to, I was almost a puddle of goo.

After we both came, we took a couple of minutes to get our breathing back to normal before going out to our private pool. God, I love this place. It is exceedingly private, but if you want company, that isn't far away either. We swam around for a little while before Brian made good on his word and fucked me in there. It was the most amazing feeling ever, almost like we were weightless. After our shower fuck, we went to the main building to go to dinner.

Dinner was just as good as it had been the night before, and we were enjoying just sitting and talking to each other about nothing in particular and everything under the sun. It was the most perfect day I could ever have imagined.

 **Brian POV**

The next day, we decided to get another picnic lunch from the same place, and drove around the island seeing as many things as we could. Justin drew every time we stopped. We had a great day, again, and came back with just enough time to take a swim, shower and go to dinner.

The third day we rented an off-road motorcycle and went farther inland on the island to explore everything we hadn't seen the day before. Justin was suitably impressed with the fact that I knew how to drive a bike.

Our last two days we spent by the pool, just sun bathing, talking, fucking and enjoying each other's company. I don't think I have ever had a better vacation. The only thing clouding our time was the thought of the almost 24 hours it would take us to get home. I really hope we are not going to be as tired as we were on the way here. This time we only had to change planes once, though. It also helped that we were taking off at 4 PM instead of in the dead of night.

We had a 6-hour layover in Miami, and we used the time to get a drink in the airport and fuck in one of the bathrooms.

When we got home, we were both tired, but not more than could be expected. We unpacked and spent the rest of the day uploading all the pictures we had taken with the digital camera. It had really been the most amazing vacation.

 

'Marine Service'  
http://www.caribbean-direct.com/St-Barth-Direct/Boat%20Rentals/STBboatrentalsF.html

'Maya's to-go'  
http://www.st-barths.com/mayas-to-go/index.html


	10. A memory resurfaces

**Justin POV**

When we came home from St. Barths, everybody wanted to know everything. Luckily, we had taken a lot of pictures and I had done a lot of sketches. We invited everybody to come to the loft to see them.

"It all looks so beautiful, honey. Did you have a good time?"

"We had a wonderful time, Mom. The island was so great. The first day, we chartered a catamaran and sailed all the way around it. It was amazing to see the whole island."

"What the fuck is a catamaran?"

Michael really is a dumb fuck sometimes.

"It's a boat, Mikey."

"You were on a boat? What the hell would you do that for?"

"Why wouldn't I? We had a blast on that boat. We had bought some food and had sort of a picnic on the net in the middle of the boat. We lazed around and looked at the island from the water all day; it was heaven: no phones, no computers, no interruptions."

They all looked at him as if he was some kind of pod person, but he was just the man that I know that he is inside. No pretence and no bullshit.

"It sounds fucking fantastic, kiddo. It sounds like you had one hell of a vacation."

"We did; it was amazing."

I was smiling so much my cheeks started to hurt, but I just couldn't help myself; we really did have an amazing time. I looked at Brian and he was smiling almost as wide as I was. When they all eventually left, we put all of the pictures in an album we had bought the day before. We couldn't help but remember all the things that had happened as we looked at the pictures.

We were laughing when I suddenly remembered something, something not from our vacation or from anything else after my accident. It must have been from the seven lost months.

"We were supposed to go to Vermont."

It flew out of my mouth before my head could kick in. His whole demeanor changed in a second. He looked stricken and he had a look of regret on his face.

"Of all the things to remember it had to be that, Sunshine, not one of my finer moments."

He sounded so dejected I couldn't help but reach out my hand and grab his. He entwined our fingers and stroked his thumb across the back of my hand.

"What happened?"

"Remember I told you that Vance threatened to fire my ass if I didn't prove to him why he should keep me within a week?"

"Sure."

"Well, I had promised you a week in Vermont, and the day before we were supposed to leave, Vance took over from Marty. I had no choice but to do something unless I wanted to lose my job. I found out that Vance had always wanted the Brown Athletic account but had never been able to get it. I went to Chicago to do a pitch, and when I came home, I had the contract with me."

"I'm sure I could understand that when you told me."

"Ahh, but I didn't tell you. I just told you it was business, not that my job was literally on the line. You were so pissed at me and you went to Vermont alone."

"What? I went alone? Shit, I must have been really pissed."

"You were. We were really fucked up; both of us, after what happened at your prom, but you already know that. You wanted romance, confirmation of your importance and place in my life, and I wanted desperately to push you away for your own good. I really believed that I was no good for you. I had gotten you bashed and you needed to experience your youth without me holding you back. At the same time, I couldn't let you go. You were much too important to me, so you must have felt like a yoyo at times. I really don't and didn't blame you for being mad at me."

 **Brian POV**

Fuck, I never meant to tell him all that, but he needed to know, and, somehow, I needed to tell him.

"When I woke up in the hospital, I felt like a completely different person. I felt like a stupid, innocent, naïve twat who had chased after a god-like man for the better part of a year. I wanted to believe that there was more between us than us just being fuck buddies, but at the same time, I didn't feel like I deserved more. I seriously couldn't understand what I had been thinking before my prom, when I was so sure that you loved me, but I wanted it to be true and I wanted you to prove it to me. I'm so fucking sorry to have put you in that position, Brian. And don't tell me sorry is bullshit."

"I won't because I'm sorry, too. I should have realized something was wrong. I knew you had changed; fuck, all I had to do was look in your eyes to see the change. I should have explained to you why I couldn't go. We both fucked up a lot back then, but I'm trying to do better this time around. I do love you, Justin."

There, I said it. The world didn't end and he didn't laugh in my face. What he did was light up like a Christmas tree and jump into my arms.

"God, Brian, I love you, too."

I kissed him and stood up. I reached my hand down to him, and when he took it, I helped him up. We went to the bedroom and stripped each other.

I laid him gently in the middle of the bed and crawled in after him. I kissed him deeply and he responded just as fervently as he always has. I licked my way down his jaw and neck. I took one of his nipples into my mouth and bit down gently before soothing the slight hurt. He hissed and arched his back to get his body closer to mine.

I continued my travel to his other nipple. I licked across the taut nub and then kissed my way down his torso to his treasure trail. I licked the hairs there and took some of it between my teeth, tugging on it lightly.

"God, Brian,"

He moaned, and I couldn't help smiling. I blew on the head of his cock, making it jump before taking it between my lips. I sucked on it and then licked around the ridge. He bucked again and I took pity on him and took his cock all the way down my throat. I swallowed and he mewled. After bopping up and down a couple of times, I let it slip out with a little plop.

His disappointed sigh was music to my ears. I nudged him to get him to roll over, and he complied. I licked my way down his spine like I did the first night. He probably thought I was going to tease him some more like I had done on his front, but I plunged my tongue into his tight pucker as soon as I reached it.

"Fuuuck."

He moaned loudly while I kept up a steady pace of my tongue. When I felt he was sufficiently prepared, I took a condom, lubed it up and pushed into him slowly. He mewled again and I groaned. I really haven't got a fucking clue why it's so good with him every single time. Maybe I was right in St. Martin; it is only this good because I love him. I guess if this is the result, love isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Then again, I don't think it would have been as good with anybody else, or, probably, I would never have fallen in love with anybody else. The little shit wormed his way in and refused to leave before I had already fallen; by then, it was too late.

I can feel him getting closer and I reach underneath him to stroke his cock. He comes with a mighty groan and I follow soon after, moaning loudly. I think that all of our friends would be surprised if they ever found out that I'm usually the loudest during sex, but again, it's only with him. I hardly ever utter a sound when I'm with a trick. I guess that's another testament to how good it is with him.

I fall onto his back and pant, trying to catch my breath. When I have recovered a little, I roll off him to get rid of the condom. Fuck, I wish we didn't need those…shit, where did that thought come from? Don't get me wrong; I have often wondered what it would be like, pushing my bare cock into his tight, hot ass, but never after, always during.

I find myself contemplating the possibility and what it would require. First, we would have to be monogamous for at least six months, and then, we would have to get tested. I shake my head in an effort to get rid of those thoughts. I don't know if I'm ready to give up tricking, but it's a very seductive thought. Just imagining my cum trickling out of his ass afterwards, licking it up, or even better, licking it out of his ass before it could run out. Suddenly I have a vision of his cum shooting into my ass and him licking it out of me afterwards. That thought is even more erotic than the first one.

I can feel myself getting hard again, and when I turn to look at him, he is licking his lips while looking at my crotch. I smirk and grab him for another round.


	11. Fundraiser

**Brian POV**

The next day when I'm back at work, I can't help but think about the thought I had last night; it really is very seductive. Shit, I'm sitting at my desk getting hard as steel. Just as that thought runs through my brain, Gardner walks in; fuck.

"Gardner, what can I do for you?"

"I've bought tickets to the next fundraiser for Chief Jim Stockwell. I want you to go with me to drum up some business among his supporters."

"What? You want me to go to a fundraiser for a homophobic republican? Sorry, Gardner, not gonna happen."

"This is business, Brian, not personal. Forget your own political beliefs for one evening. You don't even have to talk to the man; just try to charm his guests."

"I'm not comfortable with this, Gardner."

"It's just one evening, Brian, and it will be good for the agency to get in with some of the influential people of Pittsburgh."

"Fine, but I'm not shaking his hand or paying as much as a dollar to his campaign fund."

"That's fine."

"When is this shindig?"

"Friday."

I nodded as Gardner left my office. Now, all I had to do was tell Justin that I was going to a fundraiser for the man who had helped decide that the bashing should be treated as a simple assault instead of a hate crime. Piece of cake, yeah right; he is going to fucking freak.

When I came home that night, he was sitting on the couch, sketching. He lifted his head and smiled at me.

"Hey, you're home early."

"Hey, yeah, I have something to tell you, and I don't think you are going to like it very much."

He sat up straighter and put down his pad.

"What?"

"Let me just change and I'll come join you."

I walked to the bedroom to take off my suit and put on some worn jeans and a tee. I sat down next to him and took his hand. I felt him relax slightly and realized that he was nervous.

"Vance just told me that he bought tickets to Jim Stockwell's next fundraiser. He wants me to go with him to drum up some business."

He looked at me blankly for a second, before lifting an eyebrow in a very Kinney way.

"So? What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"That was it. You do know that he was the chief when you were bashed, right?"

"Yeah, but you don't really support him, do you?"

"What? No, of course not."

"You don't intend to take him on as a client, right?"

"No."

I dragged out the word a little, wondering where this was going.

"Relax, Brian, it's just business; I know that. I'm not going to freak about this. You might not want to mention it to Debbie, though."

"Shit, you're right; she'd chew me a new one, even if I never even meet the man there; fuck."

"Yeah."

He hit me in the arm, hard, and I rubbed the place and looked at him in shock.

"What the fuck?"

"Don't ever fucking scare me like that again. I fucking thought it was something serious, like you leaving me or something like that."

I took a good look at him and suddenly realized that his eyes were a little red.

"Shit, Justin, I'm sorry. I'd never fucking tell you like that; besides, I don't predict me getting tired of you, ever."

I smirk and he smiles brightly and leans in for a kiss.

"Ok then, good. I don't predict ever getting tired of you either, so that's good."

I pull him closer and give him another, deeper kiss and we end up lying down on the couch, me on top of him. We just kiss for the longest time before I pull back a little to look at him.

"How the fuck did I ever get lucky enough to deserve you?"

His eyes become really bright with unshed tears and he smiles at me with the gentlest of smiles.

"You looked at me and asked if I'd had a busy night."

I can't help the little bark of laughter that escapes me.

"That was it, huh?"

"That was it."

"Well, I must be a whole lot smarter than anybody gives me credit for, then. Apparently, I did the smartest thing I've ever done instinctively. There was no way I wasn't picking you up that night."

He smiled at me and leaned up to kiss me again. We kissed leisurely until he deepened it and shucked my tee up to remove it. We parted long enough for us to take off each other's clothes, not an easy feat when you are lying on top of each other, but we managed.

All of the sudden, I realized that I had a craving, not one that happens very often, but once in a great while. I took out the lube from under the sofa cushions and squirted a good dollop on my fingers before lifting up a little to prepare myself. I saw Justin's eyes grow very dark with lust at the sight, and I smiled. He found a condom from the same place as the lube had been and rolled it onto himself.

I lifted up enough to position myself. I lowered slowly over his cock, felt the stretch burn, and relished every second of it. Justin was holding his cock up and I could see him panting. I couldn't hear a thing; I think my blood was pounding in my ears or I had gone deaf all of the sudden. Once I was impaled all the way, I sat still for a moment, just to adjust to the fullness. I don't exactly bottom very often, so when I do, it takes a while to get used to.

I started lifting slowly, and suddenly, my hearing returned because I definitely heard Justin moaning my name as I squeezed around him on the upstroke. I twisted around a little to make sure I hit my prostate on the in stroke, and this time, it was my turn to moan.

He grabbed my hips and began thrusting up into me, and I just let him set the pace and angle. He did so well that it didn't take very long for me to start feeling that tingling at the base of my spine. I put a hand on my cock to jerk off, but he slapped it away and grabbed hold of my cock himself, jerking me off in time with his thrusts. Just as I came, I felt his cock expanding in my ass and saw him throw his head back and moan. My cum landed on his belly, chest and a little on his chin.

"Fuck, that was amazing,"

Justin panted as I fell forward, landing on him, squishing my cum all over the both of us.

"Yeah, it really was."

I stayed on top of him a little longer than I planned to, but he put his hands on my back when I made to get up, so I just relaxed and tried to get my breathing back to normal. At one point, I felt his hand move between us to hold onto the condom while he slipped out of me. That is the worst thing about bottoming, in my opinion, that empty feeling you get when the other person pulls out. With Justin, it has always been both worse and better. Worse because I actually want him to stay, him, not just the feeling of being full; better because he always holds me afterwards so I don't feel left.

We made our way to the bathroom and cleaned up and brushed our teeth before going to bed. I curled up around him from behind and fell into a sated sleep.

On Friday, I had Justin drive me to work. That way, he could have the Jeep and I would just drive with Vance to the fundraiser.

When we got there, Vance started to point out all the important people who were there and I zeroed in on a potential target. It was the CEO of a large cosmetics company, and I went over to introduce myself. She and I talked for a while and she introduced me to others who might be in the market for a new ad agency. At the end of the evening, I had given my card to no less than seven CEOs, who said they'd be interested in seeing what I could come up with for them. All in all, a very productive evening, if I do say so, myself. Vance gave me a ride home and I was in a great mood when I let myself into the loft.

Monday morning, the good mood I had been in the whole weekend disappeared as soon as Vance told me he had signed on Stockwell as a client.

"As long as you don't expect me to work on his campaign or have anything to do with him, fine. Just keep him away from me, Gardner."

"What is it you have against him? It sounds almost personal, Brian."

"It is. My partner was bashed about a year ago. A classmate of his took offence to us dancing and hit him in the head with a baseball bat. I saw it happen, but I was too far away to stop it. It was reported as a simple assault and not the hate crime it actually was. Jim Stockwell was one of the people responsible for the 500 hours of community service the bastard got instead of jail time."

Vance looked appropriately horrified, but after a couple of seconds, he recovered enough to talk.

"Well, he's a client of this agency now, so I expect you to behave accordingly if you should run into him in the halls."

"Fine, as long as I don't have to work for the man."

Vance nodded and left my office. I had a fucking hard time concentrating for the rest of the day. I was not looking forward to having to tell Justin the news.

I came home and told him right away. I didn't want to scare him again, and I just wanted it out of the way.

"You won't have to work with him, will you?"

"No, I made that very clear to Vance. I will not lift a finger to do anything for him or his campaign."

"Ok, then, there isn't much we can do about it. It's not like you have any control over who your partner signs on as clients, just like he doesn't have any control over the clients you sign."

He gave me a meaningful look and I immediately knew what he meant. I could sign on councilman Deekins and there wasn't a good god damn thing Vance could do about it. I decided to contact the councilman the next day. That would be a good signal to give Vance. I had told him that I didn't want to work with Stockwell and he went ahead and signed him anyway. This way, I could get the message to him that I didn't take it lightly when he went against my wishes.


	12. The committee to defeat Stockwell

**Brian POV**

Early Tuesday morning, I called the councilman to make an appointment. His assistant told me he had time that day at 10:15, if I could make it. Luckily, I didn't have any meetings that morning, so I said yes.

I made my presentation and I could see that he was impressed. He was a little worried about the cost, but I told him that I would save him a lot of money in unnecessary advertising. I would make sure he had a kick-ass campaign and was only exposed where he needed to be, nowhere else.

After about an hour's meeting, he agreed and signed on with me. I was on a smug high for the rest of the day; the look on Vance's face when I showed him the contract was worth every hassle to get it.

When I got home, I took hold of Justin and swung him around.

"I signed on Councilman Deekins today."

I was smiling brightly and he whooped loudly.

"We should go celebrate. Let's go to the diner and you can tell Deb."

He smiled mischievously.

"See, this is why I love you, Sunshine."

His smile changed from mischief to pure Sunshine before he jumped into my arms.

"I love you, too, Brian."

I hurried up to the bedroom to change. I didn't particularly want to be in my suit any longer. Once I had on a pair of jeans and a wife beater, we left.

We walked into the diner hand in hand. Deb saw us almost immediately and swooped down to smother poor Justin in a huge hug. Once she had released him, she tried to rub off the lipstick from his cheek.

"How are you, Sunshine?"

"I'm fine, Deb, thanks."

She looked at me, gave me a light tap on the side of my face.

"Asshole."

"Deb, do you think I'm a naïve fool?"

Her head snapped to the side to look at Justin.

"What? No, of course not, Sunshine."

"Then why is it that you can still act as if I am?"

"I don't do that."

Now she was looking indignant.

"Yes, you do; every time you put Brian down in some way you are inadvertently telling me I'm an idiot. I mean, how can I not be if I'm in love with such a horrible person as you are making Brian out to be?"

She looked from him to me and back again. I was stunned, and at first, I was a little pissed. I don't need him to fight my battles, but then, I thought about what he said, and if that's the way she makes him feel, I can't really argue with him.

"Look, Deb, you can call Brian whatever you want, as long as he doesn't object to it, when I'm not around, but would you please show me some respect and treat my partner with some respect when I'm around?"

He was pleading with her now and I could see the wheels turning in her head. I still hadn't said anything when she looked at me.

"What do you say to all this, Kiddo?"

"If that's the way Justin feels, you have to respect that, Deb; it actually has very little to do with me; it's about how you make HIM feel when you do it."

I shrugged and Justin gave me a bright smile and squeezed my hand a little.

"Ok, Sunshine, I'll try, that's all I can promise."

"Thank you, Deb. Now, Brian has some great news."

She looked at me and I took a deep breath.

"I signed on Councilman Deekins as a client today."

She grabbed a hold of me, and now it was my turn to get a bone-crushing hug and a smacking kiss on the cheek.

"Good for you, Kiddo. Did he contact you, or did you contact him?"

"I contacted him. Vance had signed on Chief Stockwell, despite the fact that I'd told him I didn't want to work with that homophobic asshole. Justin reminded me that I didn't have any influence over the clients Vance signs, just like he has no influence over mine."

I winked at Justin and he chuckled lightly.

"Wait, Stockwell is your client, too?"

She was getting pissed.

"No, Deb, that's not what he said; he said that Stockwell is Vance's client and Deekins is Brian's client."

He gave her a pointed look and I could see her mentally backing off.

"Well, I hope you're a better advertiser than your partner, then."

"I am,"

I said with confidence, and she nodded.

"Can we have some breakfast now, please, Deb."

We had moved to a booth while we talked.

"Sure, Sunshine, what'll it be?

"I'd like blueberry pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, orange juice, and coffee, please."

I looked at him and shook my head.

"How can you eat all that?"

"I'm still a growing boy; we can't all be as old as you."

He smiled cheekily.

"I'd like an egg white omelet, some whole wheat toast, and coffee."

"Coming right up."

We sat quietly just playing with each other's fingers after Deb left. Suddenly, we noticed someone standing at the end of the table. We both looked up and I froze.

 **Justin POV**

I looked at the guy standing at the end of the table. He looked at me and was just about to say something.

"Not interested."

I looked at Brian and he smirked at the guy and then turned his head and smiled at me. He must have been somewhat dense, the guy, because he was still standing there, so, I looked at him again. Then, I thought he looked a little familiar, and then, I saw the violin.

"Hey, I remember you."

His whole face lit up.

"You're the guy who played outside the diner a couple of weeks ago, right?"

His face fell again and he nodded.

"Well, I'm still not interested and my partner and I are having breakfast, so if you would please…"

I made a gesture towards Deb who stood behind him with our food. He moved away and Deb set our food down. I started eating and forgot all about the unkempt violin player.

 **Brian POV**

I'm going to fucking kill that mother fucking piece of shit. What the fuck does he think he's doing? Did he think that Justin would miraculously remember him and then go with him, or was he trying to nudge his memory? Either way, it was fucking stupid.

My heart jumped up into my throat when Justin said he remembered him, but it was just from that time when he was playing outside the diner. Luckily, Justin concentrated on his food as soon as Deb set it down, so he didn't see the look she sent me.

"So, Sunshine, what are you going to do today while I go to work to earn some money and pay for your luxury vacation?"

I had my tongue firmly planted in my cheek. He looked at me and stuck out his tongue.

"As if I was the only one on that vacation. You enjoyed it at least as much as I did."

"It's true, I did,"

I agreed with him, because it would be fucking stupid to deny it, when he already knew the truth.

"I think I'm going to paint a little. I have a painting in mind. It has been scrambling around in my head since we came home; now, I think I'm ready to paint it."

He smiled at me and I smiled back.

"Just remember the drop cloth, and I'm happy."

He nodded.

"I always do, Brian, you know that."

"Yeah, I know."

We finish our breakfast, talking about the painting he'll be working on today and about the campaign I'll have to start on today. I have to give the councilman a lot of my working hours the next months until the election; I can't let Stockwell win this thing.

Maybe I should ask Justin to help me with this. I know he wants to be involved; he hates Stockwell's guts as much as I do. I can ask him to do some anti-Stockwell things. Help organize rallies, put up posters and things like that. I bet Deb, Jennifer and the gang would be happy to help.

I just have to make sure Vance doesn't find out; I can't be seen as actively trying to discredit a client of the agency. It is one thing to work for the adversary, as long as you only try to sell your own guy, not bury the other one.

I concentrate on work for the rest of the day, never even leaving to go to lunch; I just have Cynthia get me something to eat at my desk.

 **Justin POV**

When Brian came home that night, he asked me if I wanted to help him defeat Stockwell. I, of course, agreed, and we formed 'the Committee to Defeat Stockwell'. We called Deb, my mother, the guys, and the munchers to hear if they were interested in joining in. Everybody said yes.

We made an appointment to meet at Deb's house the next day for a meeting about what should be done. I started my first attempt at a poster while Brian worked on something for Deekins. We worked in companionable silence for a while; it's really nice. It's not often that we just sit around the loft doing our own things, with no outside interruptions or input.

After a couple of hours, I was done with the first poster and straightened up for the first time in a while; my back hurt a little and I looked over at Brian. He looked like he hadn't moved either. I think he felt me look at him because he looked up and stretched.

"You done?"

He smiled and I nodded my head.

"Yeah, I've done the first poster. How about you?"

"Yeah, I'm done. Nothing good has been coming to me for a while now. It's better to just stop when that happens."

"I know. You want to go out?"

I didn't really want to go, but if he needed to unwind, he could go without me.

"You want to go out?"

he countered, and I shook my head.

"No, but I thought you might want to go out, get a few drinks, get your cock sucked."

I flushed a little at that and he gave me a strange look.

"Why would I do that? I can get both those things right here." He paused for a while, looking like he was wondering whether or not he wanted to tell me something. "Besides, I haven't tricked at all since the day of your accident at PIFA."

He looked down and his face darkened a little as if he was embarrassed by his admission. I, on the other hand, was floored.

"Are you serious? But that was almost 2 months ago."

I could hear my voice falling over the words, almost stammering, and he looks up at me through his lashes.

"Yeah, I know."

"Why? Don't get me wrong, I think it's great, if that's what you really want. I just want to make sure you're doing it for the right reasons."

"I can't tell you why, Sunshine, but I can tell you it's because of some things that happened in the time you don't remember. I guess I started reevaluating my life and my priorities."

He shrugged, like it was no big deal, and I took a closer look at him. He was very serious about this; this is really what he wants. It's not something he thinks he has to do, or something he thinks he has to do to get me to stay, this is genuinely something he's doing as much for himself as for me.

I smile brightly at him and pull him to me. I hold him and just breathe in his scent.

"Let's go to bed."

He nods his head, stands up, and takes my hand. We get ready in the bathroom, and then, we crawl under the covers. I think we both meant to fuck, but the pressure of the last couple of days must have gotten to us, because we fall asleep wound around each other.


	13. Memories

**Brian POV**

My strategy for Deekins was very simple; get him out to all the minority groups in the city. The black community, the Hispanic community, the Muslim community, The Asian community, the GLBT community, the elderly, the single parents, the women's groups, the people on minimum wage and all the unions. That way, he had reached everybody except the upper middle class and the wealthy. And he might have reached them through their wives, parents or a gay relative.

We made ads that told that Deekins fought for the minorities, showing pictures, not of people, but of neighborhoods. That way, the ad resonated with more people without offending anybody.

The Committee had been busy, too. Justin had made the most amazing posters, and everybody had helped hang them all over town. I had heard from Cynthia that Stockwell had gone round the bend when he saw the first one, and he was getting more agitated with each poster.

We had also made sure that somebody was always present every time he made any appearance in public. They asked him very unpleasant questions about the work the police did and they were always well-prepared so the questions were related to the specific neighborhood or group of people he was talking to.

I did all the research with Justin; even Cynthia helped once she found out what we were up to. She was friends with Vance's secretary, who, in turn, couldn't stand her boss. She was more than willing to provide Cynthia with Stockwell's schedule on a weekly basis.

So both campaigns were doing fine: my positive one for Deekins, and our negative one for Stockwell.

Justin had started to get little glimmers of his memory back. There were both good and bad in there, but we dealt with the bad ones as soon as they came up. I tried to explain why I had done the things I had done, and we talked about the bashing. Not something I was particularly happy about, but it was something we both needed.

The night he remembered his birthday is not one I'll ever want to live through again, though. That sucked, and not in a positive life affirming way, and it wasn't as easy to explain that one away.

It was 2:24 AM when he sat up in bed abruptly, waking me up. He looked around him, bewildered for a couple of seconds before his eyes lighted on me. I reached out my hand and put it on his arm and his eyes narrowed, and suddenly, he didn't look bewildered anymore; he looked pissed as all hell.

"A hustler, Brian? Have you lost your fucking mind?"

I cringed. There was no doubt in my mind that he had remembered his disastrous birthday, and I wondered what else from that day he remembered.

"What the fuck were you thinking buying me a hustler?"

"I wasn't, really. I wasn't going to give you anything; you know I believe in celebrating accomplishments, not birthdays, but then, Lindz went off on me, told me that this time your birthday was an accomplishment and I started thinking. I still didn't want to give you anything too lesbianic, didn't want to give you the wrong impression, even if it was the right one." I looked at him to see if he understood me. He rolled his eyes and motioned with his hand for me to continue. "I remembered you fawning over that stupid underwear model and I didn't think beyond that."

He shook his head and then lay back down with a huge sigh.

"Damn it, I think I would have preferred to get nothing."

"I know, Justin, why the fuck do you think I wanted to have a birthday party for you?" He looked at me sharply at that, and then, realization dawned. "Do you remember anything else from that day?"

I was glad that we had gone through something like this before; since I had asked the same question every time, that meant that it didn't raise any suspicion when I asked him this time.

"Not much. I just remember coming home and you told me you had a surprise. I was so happy; I never expected to get anything, and then, that happiness was thwarted and I was just so disappointed."

The look on his face just about killed me. I took him in my arms, and after an initial hesitation, he acquiesced and let me hold him. I was on my back and he had his head on my shoulder. I stroked his hair, not knowing what to say to make this better for him.

We fell back asleep, but only for a couple of hours before he woke up again. This time, he was crying when he woke up, and I was worried because he wouldn't say anything, look at me, or even let me touch him for the first 10 minutes. When he did turn his head and look at me, I almost bolted for the door. There were so many different emotions on his face: sadness, pain, regret, anger, but most of all, love.

"I remember."

I was honestly confused because he didn't say anything else and it could be a million things he remembered.

"What do you remember?"

"Everything."

Shit. How the fuck was I supposed to react to that? I just looked at him, trying to read his expression more closely; I desperately wanted to know what he was feeling and what he was going to do now that he had all the information.

"Shit, Brian, we are fucking stupid, the pair of us." He must have seen the panic in my face, because he reached out his hand and took mine. "I'm not leaving, Brian. I'm not even really mad at you; I'm more mad at us, if that makes any sense."

Oddly enough, it did. Neither of us could have fucked us up this thoroughly alone; it was a collaboration between the both of us.

Suddenly, I remembered something.

"What happened that day at the studio; do you remember?"

He looked like he didn't want to tell me, but I guess he figured that that wasn't going to fly, because he took a deep breath and looked me in the eyes.

"I remembered prom, all of it. I guess the trauma of that knowledge and knowing what I had done to you afterwards must have been too much and that's what caused me to block out almost all the bad things that have happened since I came home from the hospital."

He shrugged and all I could do was stare at him. He remembered prom, but that memory resurfacing was what made him forget 7 months of his life. It was too much to comprehend and I closed my eyes as if to keep it all out. I felt his hand on my cheek and I opened my eyes again to look at him. He was smiling now, which I didn't understand.

"God, Brian, we were amazing. The way we danced, the way you looked at me. It was like a dream come true for me, and then, to think I threw all that away for violin music and fancy words."

I stopped breathing and my heart skipped a couple of beats when he said that.

"Yes, I remember Ethan, too, and I need to talk to him at some point, probably soon, but I'm not leaving you again, ever. I can't believe I left you in the first place."

He leaned in and kissed me softly and I started breathing again. I snaked my arms around him and squeezed him to me.

"I'm so happy you have your memories back, but I'm so sorry it had to be such painful ones."

"Yeah, well, sorry's bullshit; you know that, and, at least, I can say that we both learned from it and are a lot smarter now."

His eyes twinkled when he looked at me and I couldn't help the grin that my treacherous face produced.

"Twat."

I kissed him, and then, we laid back down to see if we couldn't get at least a little more sleep before we had to get up. We needed to go see a doctor; we had to find out why he went from remembering prom to a bump on the head and no memory of seven months of his life, but that would have to wait until morning.


	14. Finally happy

**Justin POV**

The next morning, I woke up feeling more at peace than I had in a long time; it's really disconcerting not to be able to remember part of your past. Now, I had not only the lost months, but also prom. I had the look in Brian's eyes while we danced, the smile that was just for me and that amazing kiss in front of everybody.

I know Brian was worried about me, about the fact that I remembered prom and then proceeded to forget everything else about the last months, but I think it was just my mind's way of coping until I was strong enough to deal with it all.  
I know I wasn't getting out of going to the doctor's for some possible answers, and I didn't mind, not really. I'm not a big fan of the hospital, but if it would set Brian's mind at ease, there was no question that I'd do it.

I woke up before Brian and just lay there, looking at him. I still can't believe that I left him, that I didn't see all the little things he says and does that show how much he loves me, and I don't mean now, after my amnesia, I mean before.

I know he's worried that I'll leave him now that I remember all the problems we had, but there's no chance in hell of that. Now that I remember prom and the love that shone in his eyes that night, I can't leave him. I can understand why he didn't want to be that vulnerable again; look what it got him the last time.

In Brian's mind, everything that happened to me was his fault. Now, it's up to me to convince him that it wasn't his fault that my mind chose to forget all the things that had happened rather than remember what I had done to the man who loves me that much.

I can see that Brian is waking up, so I decide to make it a good morning for him. I pull back the covers gently and take his morning wood into my mouth. He bucks up a little and wakes up completely.

"Justin."

He grabs a hold of my hair; not forcefully and not to guide, just to have something to hold on to while I give him one of my better blow jobs, even if I do say so myself.

After he cums, I crawl up to share some of his own taste with him.

"God, what a great way to wake up."

"I love you, Brian, so much."

There are several expressions flittering across his face at that, starting with surprise and ending in pleasure.

"I love you, too, Sunshine."

I kiss him again and he smacks my ass.

"Hey!"

He laughs and gets up.

"We gotta get you to see your doctor, Justin; I want to know if you are alright."

"I'm fine, Brian, but if it'll make you feel better, we'll go."

I get up after him; he's already started the shower when I get there and we get under the spray. He washes my hair and   
I enjoy the sensual feeling of his fingers massaging my scalp.

"Are you sure you're alright with going to the hospital? I know you hate that place, not that I'm a big fan either."

"Brian, there are very few things I wouldn't do for you; if I thought it was what you really wanted, I'd even leave you."

I give him a pointed look and he looks down for a couple of seconds before pulling me close under the spray.

"God, we messed up, didn't we?"

"Yeah, we did, in the most spectacular way, but we fixed it, and we're alright now."

 **Brian POV**

He's right; I did give the impression that I wanted him gone, or at least that I wasn't prepared to fight to keep him; in fact, I didn't fight when he did leave. I'm glad he told me that he's going to the hospital with me to get checked out; I'll feel better if his neurologist has a look at him and hears that he got his memory back.

We get out of the shower, dry off and get dressed. He calls the doctor to ask if he has time to see us today. Luckily, he has a cancelation at 3 PM. That gives us a few hours and Justin tells me that he wants to go talk to Ethan.

I'm not too happy with that, but he asks me to give him a lift and wait for him in the car. That reassures me somewhat; that means that he won't be too long and that he wants me there when he's done.

He comes back out of the building about ten minutes after he went in and he looks so sad I'm a little scared that he's changed his mind. He gets in the Jeep and just puts on his seatbelt and sits back.

I look at him, but he's not looking at me, but rather out the side window, so I just start the car and drive to the loft. Once we get there, he gets out and goes into the building; he still hasn't said a word, and that freaks me out a little.

He's on the couch when I catch up to him, and I sit down next to him. I have no clue what to say, so I just sit there until, finally, he starts talking.

"I may not have been in love with him, but I did like him, and I hated having to do that to him. He's a nice guy and he didn't deserve that."

I let out the breath I had apparently, more or less, held since he got into the car, and take his hand.

"I know, Justin, but he must have known it was a possibility from the start. I mean, he did know about me, he did know that you were in a relationship, however troubled it was, and he went after you anyway."

"Mmm, I never thought of it that way; you're right, he did know about you. He even knew that I still loved you, even after I left."

He leans into me and I put my arm around him to try and offer some comfort. I know it couldn't have been easy to tell Ethan that he remembers everything, but still chooses to stay with me.

That's when it hits me; he remembers everything, but he still chooses to stay with me.

"I hope you don't think I'm an insensitive prick, but I'm so very glad you chose to stay with me."

He turns to me and I let him see my happiness in his choice and he smiles.

"Me too. I love you."

"I love you, too, Sunshine."

We sit like that for a while before his stomach starts growling, and I snort out a laugh.

"Let's go feed you before we have to be at the doctor's office."

He smiles sheepishly at me and gets up. We leave the loft, again, and drive to a little café close to the hospital. We haven't talked about it, but have unconsciously decided not to tell anybody about his memory's return until the doctor's had a look at him.

After lunch, we went to the hospital, and I could feel that he was just as uncomfortable being there as I was; god, I hate this place. There are so many bad memories associated with it and only one happy one.

Justin's neurologist listens to his story, does some tests, including an MRI, and concludes that there is absolutely nothing wrong with him.

"Then, why did he forget those months just as he remembered prom?"

"The mind is a very complex mechanism, and I think Justin's own explanation has a lot of merit. It could be the shock of what he discovered and his perceived guilt, but I'm not a psychiatrist, so I can't say for sure; all I know is that there is absolutely nothing wrong physically."

We thanked the doctor and left the hospital, quickly.

"Do you want to see a shrink to make sure that your theory is right?"

"No, Brian. It doesn't really matter one way or another; I have my memory back, all of it, and there is nothing wrong with me; you heard the doctor. Let's just be happy that it's over and move on."

I reluctantly acquiesce; it was ultimately Justin's decision, even if I wasn't happy about it. We agreed to call a meeting of the committee for that night; that way, we could tell everybody at once and not alert them to anything beforehand.

When they are all here, I tell them that we have some news for them and Justin stands up.

"I got my memory back last night, all of it, including prom."

At first, it was so quiet in the loft you could have heard a feather fall, and then, all hell broke loose. They all asked a lot of questions at once and we couldn't hear a thing. I put my hand up to get them to shut up, and when that didn't work, I yelled.

"Shut the fuck up, everybody!"

They did, and Justin told them his theory about why he lost consciousness, the doctor's assurance that nothing was wrong with him and the fact that he had talked to Ethan and explained that even though he remembered him, he was still staying with me. That one still makes my chest constrict and makes it very hard for me to keep my face impassive.

They all congratulated him, one by one, and some even gave me a pat on the back, in way of acknowledging what I had gained from this, I guess, and then, they finally all left so we could celebrate properly.

 **Epilogue**

The committee kept up with their work to discredit Stockwell, and when the hustler Ben and Michael took in recognized 'Dumpster Boy' as Jason Kemp and we found out that he had been killed by Stockwell's former partner, I made an ad with all the facts of the case and Councilman Deekins paid for it; well, his election funds did, and it was all over for Stockwell. Deekins won in a landslide and Stockwell was put under investigation to find out if he had anything to do with the murder, either directly or after the fact.

Vance was not happy with me about the ad, and we agreed that it would be best if we parted ways. He paid me a generous severance package that made it possible for me to start up my own agency. I took Cynthia with me and when Ted came out of rehab, he started working for me, too.

The agency grew faster than I could have ever hoped for, and when Justin started his third year at PIFA, there was no problem finding the tuition money, which had been my biggest concern until then.

Justin and I were, to my immense surprise, happy. We did many of the same things we had always done, went to Woody's, Babylon and the diner, but we just as often stayed home and just watched a movie, did some work or fucked all evening.

Like I said, we were happy.


End file.
